Portable cordless multipurpose lighting system

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for lighting body panels of automobiles to facilitate repair of the body panels, where one embodiment is a portable lighting apparatus that includes a light board, a base and an extension member that connects the light board to the base. The light board is supported by the extension member, which is supported by the base. A battery in the base provides power through conductors in the extension member to light sources in the light board. A slip ring in the extension member couples the conductors together so that they can rotate, thereby allowing the light board to rotate with respect to the base, without twisting the conductors. A suction cup mount on the base enables the base to be secured to an automobile body panel, and the extension member allows the light board to be positioned as desired.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a conversion of, and claims the benefit of, U.S.Provisional Patent Application 61/798,496, by James M. Lee, filed Mar.15, 2013, which incorporated by reference as if set forth herein in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to lighting systems, and moreparticularly to systems and methods for providing lighting suitable foruse in paintless dent removal, where the provided illumination isconveniently positioned and easily controlled to have desiredillumination characteristics.

2. Related Art

Paintless dent removal is a set of techniques for repairing damage tothe body of an automobile. Generally, these techniques involve usingtools on the insides of body panels to push dents from the panels. Theuse of lights positioned near the body panels allows a technician tomore clearly see the dents and to determine when the dents have beenadequately repaired.

Various types of lighting systems are available for this purpose.Conventional lighting systems, however, have a number of drawbacks. Forinstance, it may be difficult to position the lighting systems properlywith respect to the body panels, the lighting systems may not be able toproduce light having the desired characteristics, and so on. The variousembodiments of the lighting systems disclosed herein may reduce oreliminate some of the problems associated with conventional lightingsystems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure is directed to systems and methods for lighting bodypanels of automobiles to facilitate repair of the body panels. Oneparticular embodiment comprises a portable lighting apparatus thatincludes a light board, a base and an extension member that connects thelight board to the base. The light board is connected to the extensionmember, which is in turn connected to the base. The base supports theextension member, and the extension member supports the light board. Thebase includes a mount that allows it to be secured to a body panel of anautomobile that is being repaired. In one embodiment, the mount is asuction cup mount that can be easily attached to or removed from thebody panel. The base may also have a flat portion that is designed toallow the base to sit on the ground and still hold the extension andlight board in a desired position. The extension member is bendable toallow the light board to be positioned as desired with respect to thebody panel.

The base includes a battery that supplies power to the light sources inthe light board. In one embodiment, the battery is coupled to the lightsources through a set of switches on the base. The switches allow thelight sources to be selectively turned on and off, thereby providinglight having a desired set of characteristics. The electrical power isconveyed from the base to the light board through the extension member.In one embodiment, the extension member has a passageway through it, andthe conductors that carry the power from the base to the light board arecontained entirely within the extension member. A slip ring whichcouples a first set of electrical conductors from the base to a secondset of electrical conductors from the light board is provided in theextension member. The slip ring allows the first and second sets ofelectrical conductors to rotate with respect to each other. As a result,the light board can be rotated with respect to the base without twistingor binding the electrical conductors. This reduces stresses and wear onthe electrical conductors and eliminates one point of failure that isfound in conventional lighting systems.

The light board has multiple, selectable light sources, such as LEDstrips that can be used to provide various different types of light.Each of the types of light has a unique set of characteristics, such ascolor temperature, position on the light board, intensity, contrast, andso on. The LED strips or other light sources may be mounted on a housingof the light board. The interior of the housing may have a reflectivesurface to increase the intensity of the light produced by the lightboard. A cover made of acrylic or other transparent or semi-transparentmaterial may be secured over the light sources to protect them andpossibly to diffuse the light from the light sources. The cover may beremovable and replaceable.

Numerous other embodiments are also possible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects and advantages of the invention may become apparent uponreading the following detailed description and upon reference to theaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a lighting system in accordance with oneembodiment.

FIG. 2 is a back view of a lighting system in accordance with oneembodiment.

FIG. 3 is a right side view of a lighting system in accordance with oneembodiment.

FIG. 4 is a left side view of a lighting system in accordance with oneembodiment.

FIG. 5 is a partially exploded view of a lighting system in accordancewith one embodiment.

While the invention is subject to various modifications and alternativeforms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in thedrawings and the accompanying detailed description. It should beunderstood, however, that the drawings and detailed description are notintended to limit the invention to the particular embodiment which isdescribed. This disclosure is instead intended to cover allmodifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the scope ofthe present invention as defined by the appended claims. Further, thedrawings may not be to scale, and may exaggerate one or more componentsin order to facilitate an understanding of the various featuresdescribed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

One or more embodiments of the invention are described below. It shouldbe noted that these and any other embodiments described below areexemplary and are intended to be illustrative of the invention ratherthan limiting.

As described herein, various embodiments of the invention comprisesystems and methods for providing easily positioned lighting that hasswitchable illumination characteristics.

One embodiment of the lighting system of the present invention isdescribed below with reference to FIGS. 1-5.

In one embodiment, a light board 20 is connected to a neck or extension21, which is in turn connected to a base assembly 22. The light boardcontains multiple, selectable light sources or combinations of lightsources that are configured to produce different types of lighting, eachof which may be well suited to a particular use. The light sources mayhave different positioning within the light board, different colortemperatures, different intensities or other varying characteristics. Asan example, one type of lighting may be generated by a single, narrowstrip of LEDs near one edge of the light board. When this edge of thelight board is positioned near a vehicle's body panel so that the lightis nearly parallel to the panel, dents may be more easily visible asshadows. With the light board in the same position, strips of LEDs inthe center and opposite edge of the light board may be energized toprovide illumination that produces a less stark contrast associated withdents, but may make it easier to see differences in paint colors acrossthe body panel.

Light board 20 is connected to base assembly 22 by extension 21. Theconnection is designed to allow light board 20 to pivot and/or swivel atthe end of extension 21 to facilitate positioning of the light boardwith respect to the vehicle body panel (or other workpiece). Extension21 is flexible in this embodiment, but is stiff enough to support lightboard 20. Extension 21 is also hollow, so as to allow wiring between thebattery (in base assembly 22) and the light sources (in light board 20)to be located therein.

Base assembly 22 houses a battery that is used to power the LEDs orother light sources in light board 20. The battery is removable andrechargeable, and may be configured to be interchangeable with batteriesof the type that are commonly used in cordless power tools. The batteryis coupled through a set of switches (e.g., 13) and a slip ring 9 to thelight sources in light board 20. The switches allow the light sources tobe selectively switched on and off, while the slip ring allows the wireswhich are connected to the battery and switches to rotate freely withrespect to the wires which are connected to the light sources. Baseassembly 22 includes an attachment means such as a suction cup 11 whichallows the base assembly to be attached to a workpiece such as a vehiclebody panel. Once base assembly 22 is attached to the workpiece, the baseassembly supports extension 21, which in turn supports light board 20.In one embodiment, base assembly 22 is shaped to allow it to be set onthe ground or another flat surface if it is impractical to attach it tothe workpiece.

Thus, in operation, this embodiment of the lighting system is attachedto a workpiece, the light board is appropriately positioned with respectto the workpiece, and the light sources within the light board areenergized to illuminate the workpiece. The characteristics of theillumination produced by the light board may be changed by setting theswitches to energize appropriate light sources to generate illuminationwith the desired characteristics.

The lighting system of FIGS. 1-5 will now be described in more detail.

Part 1 is an LED tray housing cover. Tray housing cover frame 1 isoptional, but is used in this embodiment to secure acrylic sheet 2 tolight tray housing 3. The acrylic sheet can also be mounted to LED trayhousing 3 with an acrylic locking channel, which is a groove built intothe tray housing.

In one embodiment, acrylic sheet uses a white acrylic to deflect lightfrom LED light source to create a proper fade/fog line onto a surface.White acrylic creates a smoother light source and is used for lowambient light conditions. It comes in regular gloss or anti-glarefinish. Clear acrylic is used to create a sharper fade/fog line onto asurface. Clear acrylic is also used when you want maximum brightnesswhich is good for high ambient light situations.

LED tray housing 3 is a rectangular shaped box built of high strengthmaterial that encloses the LED strips and wiring. It has 4 sides and aback with an open face. The acrylic cover attaches to the top open faceof this box. All or portions of the interior of the LED tray housing maybe reflective to increase the intensity of one or more of the LEDstrips.

LED Strips (e.g., 4) are used as the light source in this embodiment.The different strips of LEDs may generate light of different colortemperatures, intensities, and so on.

In this embodiment, a ¾″ NPT Connector (5) is used to provide aconnection point to mount the LED tray housing onto the extension 21(which is mounted to the base assembly 22). The extension is hollow toallow wire to pass therethrough.

A hollow elbow connector 6 having a 90 degree bend is connected at oneend to NPT threaded connector 5 and at the other end to extension 21 (aloc line). This connector holds the light board at the properorientation with respect to the extension and allows the board to bemoved 360 degrees.

A hollow double socket connector 7 allows two loc line fittings of samediameter to connect to each other, and is used in this embodiment toconnect elbow connector 6 to the other fittings (e.g., 8) that comprisethe loc line. The hollow loc line fittings (e.g., 8) can be connectedtogether to create an extension of different lengths, where theextension can be moved into a position and remain in that position.

Slip Ring 9 allows a wired connection between two fixed ends that rotateindependently from each other. In this embodiment, the wires fromterminal connectors 14 are connected to a first part of slip ring 9,while the wires connected to LED strips 4 are connected to a second partof slip ring 9. The first and second parts of slip ring 9 areelectrically coupled to each other (thereby electrically coupling thewires from terminal connectors 14 to the wires to LED strips 4), but canfreely rotate with respect to each other. As a result, light board 20can rotate freely with respect to base 22, without having the wires bindup or break. By comparison, a wired connection without a slip ring couldonly be rotated by a finite amount before the wires would twist enoughto cause damage to the system.

Battery base 10 is a high strength battery enclosure that allows abattery to be securely mounted and removed. The enclosure has built infittings to mount a plunger and suction cup for securing the devicewhere needed. There are cutouts for 3 switches and a ¾ NPT threadedinput hole to mount the ¾ NPT connector. Included on the base arefittings to hold the battery terminal contacts and wire cover.

Suction cup 11 is a rubber coated suction cup that connects to a plungerfor mounting the light to smooth surfaces for hands free operation.

Plunger 12 is a plastic device with a hollow chamber that creates avacuum seal when pumped. This works in combination with suction cup 11.

Power on-off switches 13 allow the control of electrical energy to theLED strips so that they can be powered off or on.

Terminal connectors 14 are quick disconnect fittings that attach toswitches in order to make replacing parts easy and convenient.

Battery terminal contacts 15 are metal contacts used to connect thewiring to the battery.

Wire cover 16 is a lightweight durable material used to cover up exposedwires and connections on the battery base for a clean finish.

The lighting system starts with the LED tray housing 3, which is arectangular boxed enclosure with no front face, 4 sides and a back. ¾″NPT connector 5 is screwed into the ¾ threaded hole of LED tray housing3. The desired amount and variety of LED strips 4 are installed in LEDtray housing 3. If it is desired to have two separate strips turn onwith one on position of a switch, then the two LED strips' positive andnegative connections are electrically connected. The positive andnegative connections of each LED strip are then connected to slip ring9. Elbow connector 6 is then pressed onto ¾″ NPT connector 5. Doublesocket fitting 7 is then pressed onto elbow connector 6. Multiple locline fittings (e.g., 8) are connected together until the desiredextension length is achieved. The smaller diameter end of the extensionis connected to double socket 7. Another ¾″ NPT connector is screwedinto the ¾ NPT threaded hole on battery base 10. Plunger 12 is set intoits slotted position on the battery base with the nipple facing up.Suction cup 11 is pressed onto the plunger nipple and the threaded holeson the suction cup are lined up with hollowed holes on the base. The twoscrews provided with the suction cup are used to secure the suction cupto the base, which sandwiches the plunger into a secure position. Theslip ring wiring is then fed though the ¾ NPT threaded hole on LED trayhousing 3 all the way down into the base. Battery terminal contacts 15are screwed to the positive side of the base. Enough space should beleft between the screw and the contact to attach the positive end of theslip ring wiring. The positive wire of the slip ring is attached to thepositive contact screw and secured. This step is repeated for thenegative side. All remaining wires need to have terminal connectors 14attached to them. These wires to 3 are attached to Power on-off switches13. One power wire is connected to the positive battery terminal and 3outputs are connected to the three switches. The power on-off switches13 are pressed into the square fitted holes on battery base 10. Wirecover 16 is then placed though battery terminal contacts 15 and aresecured to the base. Finally, acrylic cover 2 is placed into LED trayhousing 3. Acrylic cover 2 can be secured into LED tray housing 3 withLED tray housing cover 1.

The lighting system operates in this embodiment by powering on and offdifferent varieties of LED lighting with switches, and switching outmultiple acrylic covers, as needed. This allows for multiple customlighting solutions to fit any lighting need. The system can be used as asimple light source to light a dark area, or it can be adjusted tocreate specific characteristics like fade/fog lines used by PDRtechnicians. The light is powered by a battery source, which keeps itcordless. The system allows hands free operation by mounting to anysmooth surface with the built-in suction cup. It can also be hung withthe loc line or it can stand directly on the ground. The device canoperate in multiple positions, and can flex and rotate 360 degrees. Thebase of the lighting system allows for a locking battery that is slidinto position and locked into place. The battery is easily removed witha push of a button and can be swapped out with a fresh battery.

The present lighting system has various unique features. For instance,it is the slip ring allows wires from the power source to freely rotatewith respect to wires from the light sources, so the system able to flexand rotate into almost any position, as compared to conventional lightswhich have limited movement due to fixed, often exposed wires. All wireson the present lighting system are internal, preventing the risk ofdamage to exposed wires. The system uses fittings which increasemobility by allowing the board and base to spin and move freely of oneanother. The light board can be rotated 360 degrees. There is a lockingbattery system for easy mounting and removing batteries, and the wiresconnecting the battery to the light sources are contained within theextension to enhance mobility. The switches are positioned out of theway on the base, where they will not accidently be turned on or off. Thesuction cup and plunger are built into the system rather than being aseparate component. The design is sleek and durable. Acrylic covers onthe light board are easily changed out. The system uses quick disconnectterminal connectors so that future customizations or part replacementscan be made easily. The system uses custom LED strips that run atdifferent voltages allowing for higher luminosity and longer run times.The system comes with several acrylic covers to allow for multiplelighting arrangements to fit specific needs.

Alternative embodiments of the invention may incorporate many variationsof the features described above. For example, the extension could beswapped for different types of tubing or conduit instead of using locline. The acrylic can have various mounting options, such as slide-in,screw-in, or snap-in, and the material may be non-acrylic. The suctioncup can be mounted externally rather than being built into the design.Switches can be moved from base to LED tray housing. Different types ofLED strips including temperature, color, voltage, or luminosity can beused. The dimensions of the LED housing can be changed to make itlonger, shorter, wider, or thicker. A fixed battery can be used insteadof a swappable battery. Extra features can be added, such as a plug-inoption in case the battery is dead.

The benefits and advantages which may be provided by the presentinvention have been described above with regard to specific embodiments.These benefits and advantages, and any elements or limitations that maycause them to occur or to become more pronounced are not to be construedas critical, required, or essential features of any or all of theembodiments. As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or anyother variations thereof, are intended to be interpreted asnon-exclusively including the elements or limitations which follow thoseterms. Accordingly, a system, method, or other embodiment that comprisesa set of elements is not limited to only those elements, and may includeother elements not expressly listed or inherent to the describedembodiment.

While the present invention has been described with reference toparticular embodiments, it should be understood that the embodiments areillustrative and that the scope of the invention is not limited to theseembodiments. Many variations, modifications, additions and improvementsto the embodiments described above are possible. It is contemplated thatthese variations, modifications, additions and improvements fall withinthe scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable lighting apparatus for illuminating abody panel of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a light board thatilluminates the vehicle body panel, wherein the light board has one ormore selectable light sources positioned therein that provide aplurality of different types of illumination on the body panel, whereineach of the plurality of types of illumination has a unique set oflighting characteristics; a base that includes a battery which iscoupled to the light sources and provides power for the light sources,wherein the base further includes a mount that is attachable to thevehicle body panel and thereby secures the base to the vehicle bodypanel; and a flexible extension member coupled between the light boardand the base, wherein the extension member is movable with respect to atleast one of the light board and the base, wherein the flexibleextension member holds the light board in a position that is adjustablelaterally and vertically with respect to the base; wherein the flexibleextension member includes a slip ring which couples a first plurality ofelectrical conductors that are connected to the battery to a secondplurality of electrical conductors that are connected to the lightsources, thereby enabling the first plurality of electrical conductorsto rotate freely with respect to the second plurality of electricalconductors, wherein the flexible extension member forms a conduit andwherein the slip ring and the first and second pluralities of electricalconductors are positioned within the conduit.
 2. The lighting apparatusof claim 1, wherein the one or more selectable light sources comprise aplurality of sets of LED's, wherein the plurality of sets of LED's areselectively powered on and off, thereby providing the plurality ofdifferent types of light.
 3. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe one or more selectable light sources comprise a plurality of sets ofLED's, wherein the plurality of different types of light arecharacterized by unique color temperatures.
 4. The lighting apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the one or more selectable light sources comprise aplurality of sets of LED's, wherein the plurality of different types oflight are characterized by unique positions on the light board.
 5. Thelighting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality ofelectrical switches on the base, wherein each of the switches isconnected to one or more of the light sources, and wherein the lightsources can be turned on and off with the switches.
 6. The lightingapparatus of claim 1, wherein the base includes a suction cup mount thatis alternately attachable to and releasable from the body panel.
 7. Thelighting apparatus of claim 6, wherein the base further comprises anexterior surface that enables the lighting apparatus to stand directlyon the ground.
 8. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the basehas a sliding battery mount that enables the battery to be alternatelyattached to or removed from the base.
 9. The lighting apparatus of claim8, further comprising a releasable locking mechanism that locks thebattery in position when the battery is mounted on the base.
 10. Thelighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the slip ring and at least aportion of each of the first and second pluralities of electricalconductors are contained within the extension member.
 11. The lightingapparatus of claim 1, wherein the light board includes a housing and acover that is at least partially transparent, wherein the light sourcesare mounted on the housing, and wherein the cover is secured to thehousing, thereby enclosing the light sources in the light board.
 12. Thelighting apparatus of claim 11, wherein the cover is removable from thehousing and replaceable.
 13. The lighting apparatus of claim 1, whereinat least a portion of the interior of the housing is reflective.
 14. Thelighting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexible extension membercomprises a plurality of interlocking tubular segments, wherein each ofthe segments is pivotable with respect to adjacent segments.
 15. Thelighting apparatus of claim 14, wherein each of the segments forms aball-and-socket with one of the adjacent segments.
 16. The lightingapparatus of claim 1, wherein the base includes a bottom surface thatenables the lighting apparatus to stand directly on the ground, andfurther includes a suction cup mount on a lateral side of the base whichenables the base to be alternately attachable to and releasable from thevehicle body panel.
 17. The lighting apparatus of claim 16, wherein thebase includes a battery mount that enables the battery to be alternatelyattached to or removed from the base, wherein the bottom surface of thebase is formed by the battery.
 18. A portable lighting apparatus forilluminating a body panel of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising: alight board that illuminates the vehicle body panel, wherein the lightboard has one or more selectable light sources positioned therein thatprovide a plurality of different types of illumination on the bodypanel, wherein each of the plurality of types of illumination has aunique set of lighting characteristics; a base that includes a batterywhich is coupled to the light sources and provides power for the lightsources, wherein the battery forms a bottom surface of the base thatenables the lighting apparatus to stand directly on the ground, whereinthe base further includes a suction cup mount on a lateral side of thebase which enables the base to be alternately attachable to andreleasable from the vehicle body panel, wherein the base has a pluralityof electrical switches, each of which is connected to one or more of thelight sources and enables the light sources to be turned on and off; anda flexible extension member coupled between the light board and thebase, wherein the flexible extension member has a plurality ofinterlocking tubular segments coupled to each other via ball-and-socketjoints, wherein each of the segments is pivotable with respect toadjacent segments, wherein the extension member is movable with respectto at least one of the light board and the base and holds the lightboard in a position that is adjustable laterally and vertically withrespect to the base; wherein the flexible extension member includes aslip ring which couples a first plurality of electrical conductors thatare connected to the battery to a second plurality of electricalconductors that are connected to the light sources, thereby enabling thefirst plurality of electrical conductors to rotate freely with respectto the second plurality of electrical conductors, wherein the flexibleextension member forms a conduit and wherein the slip ring and the firstand second pluralities of electrical conductors are positioned withinthe conduit.
 19. A method for illuminating a vehicle body panel, themethod comprising: providing a portable lighting apparatus including alight board that has one or more selectable light sources that provide aplurality of different types of illumination, wherein each of theplurality of types of illumination has a unique set of lightingcharacteristics, a base that includes a battery which is coupled to thelight sources and provides power for the light sources, wherein the basefurther includes a mount that is attachable to the vehicle body paneland thereby secures the base to the vehicle body panel, and a flexibleextension member coupled between the light board and the base, whereinthe extension member is movable with respect to at least one of thelight board and the base, wherein the flexible extension member holdsthe light board in a position that is adjustable laterally andvertically with respect to the base, wherein the flexible extensionmember includes a slip ring which couples a first plurality ofelectrical conductors that are connected to the battery to a secondplurality of electrical conductors that are connected to the lightsources, thereby enabling the first plurality of electrical conductorsto rotate freely with respect to the second plurality of electricalconductors, wherein the flexible extension member forms a conduit andwherein the slip ring and the first and second pluralities of electricalconductors are positioned within the conduit; securing the base to thevehicle body panel; positioning the light board with respect to thevehicle body panel; switching on one or more of the selectable lightsources and thereby illuminating the vehicle body panel.